Toy steamboat



Sept. 27, 1921. 1,643,918

J. J. BEC KER TOY STEAMBOAT Filed Feb .0221, 1927 SSheetS-Sheet 1 INYE TOR -J. J. BECKER Tbv sTEmBoAT. Filed F 21, 1927 3 Sheets-Shet 2 NVENTOR. LO/oq w ATTORNEY.

p 1927' J. J. BECKER TOY STEAIBOAT V s Sheets-Sheet a Filed Feb. 21, 1927 ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 27, mar.

UNITED STATES JOHN J. BECKER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

TOY STEAMIBOAT.

This invention relates to toys and more particularly to that type of toy which is adapted to simulate the construction of a steamboat provided with rotors on opposite sides thereof to which is imparted a rotary movement simulating the action of paddle wheels on the side of a steamboat and having an oscillating structure supported on the top thereof in imitation of the ordinary walking beam construction found on steamboat-s as now known.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an attractive toy in which the driving mechanism is supported on the carriage and this mechanism imparts to the rotors and walking beam motions which accurately imitate the operation of similar parts on real steamboats.

It is a further object of the present invention to locate the moving parts in the identical position assumed in the ordinary steamboat that is propelled by means of paddle wheels on opposite sides of the structure and having a walking beam on the top deck thereof.

Another object of my invention is to provide means cooperating with the driving connections whereby any irregularities in the supporting surface over which the device is moved can be accommodated so that regardless of these irregularities the device will operate successfully.

Still another object is to provide means whereby a rolling or back and forth move ment may be imparted to the structure to simulate the rolling or rocking of a boatcaused by the action of waves thereagainst.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent as the description proceeds.

Referring to the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my'invention with portions thereof broken away to show more distinctly the various working parts.

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken at a point slightly to the right of the axis of the rotor shaft in Fig. 1 and looking toward the left hand end of the structure.

Figs. 3, a and 5 are views taken along the same section line as Fig. 2 and showing modified forms of the driving mechanism for imparting motion to the rotors and to the walki'n beam.

t 8 modifier]. forms of the Application filed February 21,1927. Serial No. 1%,016.

radially extending arms forming part of the rotor.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, I have illustrated a conventional design of a steamboat structure, and while the particular outline of the same is of relatively small importance, I have illustrated a base or lower deck 1 having secured thereto a superstructure 2 simulating a steamboat cabin and provided with a series of openings to give the appearance of windows and supported by the cabin structure 2 is an upper deck 3 having at either or both ends thereof an enclosed structure representing pilot houses 4 and adjacent the pilot houses two smoke stacks 5 are represented so that the structure taken as a whole resembles quite closely the structure involved in a real steamboat.

The elements so far described may all be made of sheet metal so that the cost, of-man ufacture thereof is relatively cheap due to the fact that they can be made by stamping or other sheet metal operations at relatively small cost. I desire it understood, however, that these parts may be made of any suitable material and that the size and finish may also be changed without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

The base 1 comprises a. flat deck 6 which is provided around its marginal edge with an upstanding flange 7 which is bent backwardly upon itself and extends downwardly below the flat deck 6 and it is to be noted that this deck 6 extends entirely around the ends of the cabin structure and along a greater portion of the side thereof, but thatthe ends thereof are spaced apart a suflicient distance to permit rotation of the rotors mounted on each side of the cabin structure as clearly shown in Fig. 1.

Carried by the downwardly extending flange on the deck 6 are a pair of axles 8 carrying ground engaging wheels 9 and supported in the center of the cabin structure is another ground engaging wheel 10 which is of considerably larger diameter than the wheels 9 and projects below the same, so that when one of the wheels 9 and the wheel 10 are in contact with the supporting surface over which the device is to be propelled, the

other wheel 9 is out of engagement there with, this manner permitting the strue rare to rock back and forth very much the manner the ordinary steamboat.

tating shaft 18.

side walls of the cabin 2 so that limited vertical movement of the shaft 11 is permitted, and immediately above the shaft 11 and also extending through the side walls of the cabin structure I provide a squared shaft 12 having mounted thereon a friction wheel .13which is adapted to contact with the ground engaging wheel and upon rotation thereof impart rotary movement to the squared shaft 12 and on the outer end of the shaft 12 I provide rotors consisting of hubs Hand radially extending ball ended arms It will be seen, therefore, that upon propelling the vehicle over its supporting surface, a rotary motion is imparted to the rotors, and in this way an appearance of a rotating paddle whee-l on both sides of the structure is given.

When the ground engaging wheeljll) is in 1 contact with the friction wheel 13 the shaft 11 is supported intermediate the ends of the elongated slot 11, so that when irregularities are encountered by the ground enga ing wheel 10 this wheel may move vertically into andout of engagement with the fric tion wheel 18. However, the, radially extending ball ended arms will continue to rotate even though the wheels 10 and 13 are out of engagement, due to their own momentum, until such a time as the ground engaging wheel 10 will again contact with the friction wheel 13 to impart further rotary -movement thereto.

Ordinarily in real steamboats that are operated by paddle wheels on opposite sides, a Walking beam structure is provided, and in order to give the present invention an appearance similar to the real steamboat I likewise provide a walking beam structure supported by the top deck or wall of the cabin structure 2. The walking beam is supported by means of spaced brackets 16 which have the lower ends 17 thereof passed through slots in-the upper deck and bent at right'angles and riveted or otherwise cured to the lower surface of the 'top'deck and having openings 17 at the upper end thereof, in which is loosely mounted a ro- Fixedly secured to this shaft-18 is a hub 19 having diametrically oppositely extending arms 20 and a vertically extending arm 21 secured in sockets 21"formed therein. I further provide diagonal arms 22 which are connected to the oppositely extending arms and to the vertically extending arm respectively, by means of balls 22 also provid'edwith sockets to receive the ends of the connecting arms, so.

that the walking beam structure has the general outline of a triangle with the sides other end of the walking beam structure an arm 25 is pivoted at its upperend to the ball on the end of the other diametrically extending arm andis arranged in a vertical position so as to pass through an opening provided in the upper deck of the cabin structure so that upon rotation of the squared shaft 12 an oscillating movement is imparted to the walking beam structure by means of the pitman rod 2ft which causes the arm 25 to reciprocate through the opening J11 the upper deck of the cabin structure. I

By means of the foregoing. structure it is seen that by means of a single ground en gaging wheel 10 motion is imparted tothe rotors on'the opposite sides of the cabin structure and also to the oscillating walking beam structure on top of the cabin in imitation of the operation now performed by real steamboats and that this operation is accomplished in very simple and inexpensive manner while still providing a very.

durable structure in which the parts are of a permanent characterand cannot become inc detached or lost, and while I have shown various detailsvof construction suchas the manner of attaching the cabin tothe lower deck andthe supporting brackets for'the walking beam structure to the upper deck, I

do not intend to limit myself to the exact V embodiment as shown, but may depart from the structures without departing from the spirit of this invention or the scope of the claims. I

In the modified form as shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5, the upper and lower decks and the cabin structure are identical with that described and shown in connection with Fig. 1, and detail discussion thereof is not believed to be necessary. The same is true of the walking beamstructure which is supported on the upper deck of the'cabinstructure, the only difference between these figures and Figure 1 being in the specific driving means employed for imparting motion both to the rotors and to the walking beam structure.

In Fig. 3 I have provided a driving means for the squared shaft 12 which consists of a plurality of spaced wheels 10" which are considerably larger in diameter than the ground engaging wheels 9 at the forward and rear end of the structure and between the spaced wheels 10 I provide the squared shaft- 12 with a central crank adapted to cooperate with the pitman rod 24 for imparting movement to the walklng beam structure, so that this driving means differs from that disclosed in Fig. 1 in that the ground engaging wheels are attached directly to the squared shaft 12, thereby producing a direct drive for the shaft to impart rotary movement to the rotors and oscillating movement to the walking beam structure.

In Fig. 4 I have shown another form of driving mechanism which consists of suit-- able gearing which operates to rotate the rotors and the walking beam structure. In this form of the invention the drive is connected with the shaft 8 at the forward end of the device and in this form the shaft 8 is squared and has mounted thereon a pinion 26 meshing with a gear 27 which is attached to the lower end of a driving shaft 28. On the upper end of this driving shaft I provide a second gear 29 which meshes with a pinion 30 carried by the squared shaft 12 so that upon propelling the vehicle along the supporting surface rotation of the wheels 9 imparts rotary movement to the shaft 28 and through the gearing to the squared shaft 12 and accordingly to the rotors carried by opposite ends of the shaft. As .in Fig. 1 the shaft 12 is provided with a crank which cooperates with the pitman rod 24 to impart oscillating movement to the walking beam structure.

In order to support the gears 27 and 29 and the driving shaft 28 in proper relation, I provide a U-shaped bracket 31 which loosely engages the squared shaft 12 and straddles both the gear 29 and the pinion 30 and has an opening located centrally in its base through which the shaft 28 is adapted to I pass. This structure, however, is conventional in this type of gearing, but it is not thought necessary to describe the same in detail.

In Fig. 5 I have shown still another form. of driving mechanism in which the drive is produced by means of belts running. on pulleys which are located on the shaft of the ground engaging wheels and the shaft which supports the rotor. In this form as in Fig. 4 the ground engaging wheels are the wheels 9 located at the forward end of the device and are supported by means of a squared shaft 8. On this shaft 8 are the pulleys 32 which are in alignment with corresponding pulleys 33 fixedly secured to the squared shaft 12. In order to permit extension of the belt 84 from the lower pulleys to the upper pulleys I provide openings 35 in the lower deck through which the belts extend. Located centrally of the squared shaft 12 is the crank 23 adapted to cooperate with the pitman rod 24 to impart movement to the walking beam.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I do not intend tolimit myself to any specific driving means for operating the rotors and the walking beam, but that any suitable form of driving connection between the ground engaging wheels, the rotor shaft and the walking beam may be resorted to. It is to be further understood that the rotors and walking beam may be driven by suitable power means, such as spring motors or the like supported on the carriage and geared in any suitable manner to the rotor shaft 12; and that I believe myself to be the first to have provided a toy as described herein in which rotors mounted on opposite sides of the structure are adapted to be operated from the ground engaging wheels or other driving means and at the same time to operate the walking beam structure'in imitation of the actual operations performed by real steamboats, and it is this feature that I dei'ire to cover broadly.

Figs. 6, 7 and 8 illustrate various forms that may be employed interchangeably with the radially extending ball ended arms as shown in Fig. 1. In Fig. 6 I provide a hub 14 adapted to engage the rotorshaft and the radially extending arms are provided with a series of balls l5 which are graduated in size-from the larger balls at the outer end thereof inwardly toward the hub.

Fig. 6 shows another form of radially extending arm inwhich the arm and enlargement on the outer end thereof are formed in tegral and instead of having a complete ball on the outer end thereof the enlargement is g ven a. semi-spherical shape so that. the entire member may be stamped from sheet metal in a single operation.

Fig. 8 illustrates still another form of enlargement that may be used on the outer ends of the radially extending arms and in this illustration I have shown a squared block having suitable indicia on the flat faces thereof, such as the letters of the alphabet, so that in addition to the amusement that can be derived from the present invention,

the educational value that can be derived from the use of these. squared blocks is also present. I desire it to be understood, however, that any suitable indicia may be used, such as animals or figures.

It can readily be seen from the foregoing description that I have provided a very simple and attractive device which may be operated by means of suitable drive connections supported by the carriage and which is durable in structure in that it has very few parts that might in any way get out of order or become loose, and at the same time I have produced a device that is a comparatively faithful reproduction of the actual operation of real steam boats, not only in the rotation of the rotors representing side paddle wheels, but :of the walking beam structure and of the rocking movement caused. by providing small front and rear ground engaging Wheels adapted to operate in connection with the enlarged ground engaging wheels. I desire it to be understood that .I' intend to cover this invention as broadly and as fully as the state of the prior art will permit.

What is claimed is:

1:; In atoy,"a lower deck, a superstructure simulating a steamboat cabin supported by 'said' deck, rotors carried bysaid superstructure on opposite sides thereof, an oscillating walkingbeamon top of the superstructure, ground engaging wheels carried by said superstructure and means operatively connecting'said wheels to the rotors and walking b'e'am for iniparting rotary movement to the rotors and oscillating movement to the walking'b'ea'm.

2-. In a toy, a lower deck, a superstructure simulating a steamboat cabin supported by said deck andhaving elongated slots'thereon,'-rotors'carried by said superstructure on opposite sides thereof, an oscillating walking beam on top of said superstructure. ground engaging wheels carried in said elongated slots to permit vertical movement of said Wheels, and means operatively connecting the said wheels to the rotors and walking beam for imparting rotary movement to the rotors and oscillating movement to the walking beam.

3. In a toy, a lower deck carried on wheels, axles for said Wheels, a superstructure on said deck simulating a steamboat cabin, rotors carried by said superstructure on opposite sides thereof, a walking beam on the top of said superstructure, said lower deck having an" upstanding flange at the outer edge thereof provided with a portion bent backwardly upon itself and extending downwardly below said deck, the flange portion below the deck having openings therein to receive the aXles' of said wheels-and means for imparting motion to said rotors and wallizingbeam. n v i l. In a toy, a lower deck, a superstructure. thereon simulating a cabin, a walking beam on said superstructure, a shaft extending crank intermediate its ends and rotors on eachend thereof, ground engaging wheels on the superstructure in engagement with the rotor shaft for imparting-rotary movement thereto, and a pitman rod connecting the said crank and Walkingbeam to oscillate the same upon rotation of the ground engaging wheels. 1

5. In a toy, a lower deck, a superstructure simulating a steamboat cabin supported'by said deck, supporting wheels therefor, vertical rotors carried-by said superstructure on opposite sides thereof, an oscillating walking beam on top of said superstructure, and means'operatively connecting the said wheels to the rotors and'walking beam for imparting' vertical rotary movement to the l rotors and anoscillating'movement to the walking beam.

6; In a toy, a lower deck, carried on wheels, a' superstructure on said deck'simulating a steamboat cabin and having openings therein, a ground engaging wheel carried on said superstructure, rotors mounted on each side of saidsuperstructur'e, an aide connecting said rotors and having a crank thereon, means for'imparting movement to said axle and rotors on movement of the ground engaging Wheels, support-s on top of said superstructure, a walking beam journaled in said supports and comprising oppositely extending arms,- an upwardly extending arm and diagonal arms, balls with sockets'thereinadapted'to receive the ends of said arms to join the same in substantially a tri'angular shape, a pitman rod extending through one of the openmgs 1n said'superstructure and connected to one end of said walking beam and to said crank to impart an oscillating movement to said walking beam on movement ofsaid ground engaging wheel, a memberpivoted to the other end of said walking beam structure and havmg its-free end extending through the other opening in sald superstructure, whereby said 7 member is given a reciprocating movement upon oscillation o'f the ground engaging wheels. v p p i In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

JOHN J. BECKER.

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